Darkness Becomes Me
by MissHazelGreen
Summary: When a serial killer from Jack's past comes back, it places Will down a path he thought was forgotten. Hannibal's image of the life for him and Will is shaken when a new player arrives, putting his master plans in limbo. Will Hannibal tolerate such disruptive behavior or will he have to take corrective action? Story will contain gore, romance, and taboo. HIATUS until 03/2017!
1. Chapter 1

Hello, welcome to my new series! I have been playing with this story in my head for sometime since 2013/2014. Finally have the courage to write it and put it out there. I do not have a Beta reader, so please excuse the grammar mistakes. The story takes place after Season 1 Episode 9 _(Trou Normand)._ Will does not have encephalitis in this story, the reason why will be addressed as the story progresses - Yes, that means somethings are a bit different. This is the beginning of the story so not too much is going on yet, next chapter covers more. Please let me know what you think. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own anything that is related to Hannibal, everything belongs to Bryan Fuller and Thomas Harris.

* * *

It was a cold cloudy October Saturday morning, perfect weather to stay inside and do nothing but relax. That was exactly Will Graham's plan as he sat on his front porch in his sweat pants, t-shirt, and robe, watching his dogs play with one another in the yard. Will let out a tired sigh and rubbed the sleep dust from his eyes. He had had another night of restless sleep, waking repeatedly in a cold sweat and his heart pounding in his chest.

Will was looking forward to a weekend off from Jack Crawford and the FBI. He had plans later tonight to go over to Hannibal's for dinner, who was going to be making him a new recipe. Will closed his eyes as a he took a sip of the coffee Hannibal recommended, savoring the delicious aroma. His moment of peace was soon cut short as Will felt his cellphone buzzing in his robe pocket.

 _Shit._ He thought to himself bitterly as he looked at the caller ID. With a heavy sigh Will hit the accept button.

"Hello, Jack." Will spoke in a monotone voice as he put the phone up to his ear, he began to imagine his whole weekend plans going up in flames.

" _Will, there's a crime scene. I need you here ASAP. I'll text you the address."_ Jack practically yelled. He had been doing that a lot more lately Will noted. _"Oh, and bring Dr. Lecter with you. I believe we could use him too. All right? Good. Bye."_

With that said Jack hung up before Will could get a word in.

Will stared at his phone dumbfounded for a moment, a bit surprised at how rushed Jack sounded on the other line. Usually that meant it was an ugly case.

 _How wonderful for me…_ Will thought sarcastically as he felt a headache coming on. With a heavy heart he called his dogs back into the house as he dialed a well memorized number.

* * *

 **2 Hours Later:**

"That was very rude of Jack." Hannibal Lecter commented in the passenger seat as Will told him of his and Jack Crawford's short conversation.

"Yes, it was." Will mumbled as he drove along the freeway, seeing their exit coming up. They were 10 minutes out from the crime scene. The crime scene was about a half hour outside of Baltimore in a small town park. His phone repeatedly vibrating and make noises that he either had a new voicemail or text message. All of which Will was guessing from Jack.

"Good ole' Jack appears anxious about this case." Hannibal noted as he glanced down at his cellphone and saw Jack Crawford was now calling him. He pressed the accept button and looked over at Will with a small smile. "Hello, Jack."

Will glanced over at Hannibal, who had an amuse expression as he listened to Jack furiously demand know what was taking them so long.

"I understand your frustration, Jack." Hannibal tried to calm the Agent. "It's my fault Will and I are late. I-"

Will raised an eye brow as he looked over at Hannibal with curiosity as he heard the Doctor being cut off from speaking any further by a yelling Jack Crawford demanding that they "hurry the hell up".

"My apologizes. We will be arriving in five minutes. Goodbye, Jack."

Hannibal told Crawford in a cool calm voice before he ended their phone conversation.

Will glanced back between Hannibal and the road. Hannibal quietly put his cellphone back in his coat pocket and began to straight his coat sleeves. The blank look Hannibal was displaying made Will feel nervous.

"Everything okay, Doctor Lecter?"

"Like I was saying before that was very rude of Jack." Hannibal relied, giving Will a knowing look. Will maintained eye contact with Hannibal for a moment before focusing back on the road.

"How's Abigail? I haven't been able to see her in a while." Will changed the subject, noting to himself that they were getting closer as he saw vehicles belonging to the FBI and local police coming into view. He held up his badge for one of the officers as they were halted at the road block. The cop glanced at Will's ID and signaled for them to pass through.

"She's alright." Hannibal answered as they passed through a road block. "I believe she is still working on that hideous novel with Ms. Lounds. Much to our protests."

"Still?" Will let out a heavy sign frustration, as his hands clutched and unclutched the wheel. "She's just going to keep painting a bigger target on her back if she does not stop this nonsense."

"I perfectly agree, Will. I believe we are long overdue for a meal together for the three of us." Hannibal suggested as Will pulled up into a parking spot he was being directed to by a local cop. "I could make that new recipe I had been planning on serving you tonight."

"Sounds like a deal." Will smiled shutting off his car, just as it began to rain lightly.

Will and Hannibal existed the vehicle and made their way towards the park path that had been taped off by the FBI. They could see agents hurrying around the area as a familiar voice could be heard shouting orders left and right.

They were just passing underneath the tape when Will felt a pull on his left arm.

"Oh thank god you guys are here!" Bev panted, as she dragged Will by his arm through the rest of the tape. She appeared tense and was gripping Will's upper arm tightly. Will exchanged a looked with Hannibal who looked amused at the sight. "Jack is losing his shit I swear. I have never seen him this on edge before!"

Beverly rushed Will down the running path in the park until they came across the crime scene that had been completely taped off for the FBI. Sure enough true to her word, Will witnessed Jack barking orders at various agents and technicians before the angry BSU leader landed his eyes on the poor empath.

"Will, get over here!" Crawford shouted, even though him and Will were only twenty feet from each other. "I need you to examine the evidence before the rain destroys it! Now Graham!"

"Told ya…" Bev whispered as she pushed Will towards the grumpy Jack Crawford. She stayed back by Dr. Lecter, who seemed intrigued by the scene unfolding before him. Hannibal was curious to find out what was making the head of the BSU so angry.

Will walked over to Jack and stopped before him, glancing over at the group of agents that were surrounding the crime scene as they tried to collect more evidence as the rain began to come down harder.

"What do we got?" Will spoke looking at Jack with a somber expression.

"Do your think first then we'll talk." Jack ordered him with a grim look. Will nodded and motioned for Jack to clear everyone out. "Okay, people. Move out of the way. Come on!"

Quickly everyone scattered from the crime scene, leaving him alone with crime scene and evidence – except for Hannibal. Will could feel Hannibal's eyes on him as he over looked the scene in front of him, it brought Will great comfort knowing he didn't need to see this alone.

Will walked a couple feet in front of him until he stopped before the scene stared. He took in what he saw and closed his eyes.

* * *

 **Ten Minutes Later….**

Will let a loud gasp before pinching the bridge of his nose, feeling another headache coming on strong. He searched his pants pockets for his well-used bottle of aspirin. He popped a couple pills before focusing his eyes on Jack.

"Who is she?" Will whispered, glancing back over at the corpse. The BSU team walked past him to continue their examination of the body. Will glanced back towards Jack, who looked to be calming down slightly. "What's her name, Jack?"

"Her name was Lea Dalestorm" Jack sighed, he glanced over at Hannibal who walked up to Will's side to join the conversation. "She was a 23-year-old college student who was reported missing less than 36 hours ago. Recent footage outside her apartment building showed her taking out her trash at 2300 around the side of the building when she was attacked by an unidentified assailant. Her unconscious body was then dragged inside an unmarked vehicle. Roommates were the ones to report her missing when they found blood and trash outside the dumpster. No further evidence after that until now."

"She wasn't killed here." Will stated. He glanced back over at the lifeless body. Lea was a short Caucasian female with long dark brown hair and an athletic built. She was naked except for what used to be a light blue sheer bra. The bra was now saturated in blood. The killer appeared to have just dumped her body after he was done with her. The light rain was beginning to smear the blood that covered her body. An image Will saw of Lea showed she had had a healthy tan, now her skin looked like porcelain from the blood loss. She had multiple cuts of various depth throughout her body. Will looked away when he caught sight of Lea's lifeless eyes looking back at him as Zeller and Price examined her. "Cause of death was blood loss."

"Yea, and whoever killed her clearly knew our victim's medical history. She had a history of a rare blood disorder, multiple hospitalizations to receive blood transfusions." Beverly Katz spoke up from where she stood by the body. "He used shards of glass in various sizes to make the cuts. We've found several fragments throughout her body. Poor girl didn't stand a chance after the first several cuts. She bled right out, Jack."

"This girl died while feeling pure terror as her worse nightmare came to life." Will stated.

"The Fear Maker…" Jack whispered to himself as he looked over the scene with a far off look.

"What was that, Jack?" Hannibal questioned the Agent, curious to find out what had the Great Jack Crawford spooked. "Who is the Fear Maker?"

"Why does that name sound familiar?" Will asked, looking at Jack with confusion. He tried hard to think back to why he had heard that name before.

"Because it was a case the BSU worked on almost five years ago." Price spoke up, before Jack could answer. "Guy would violently abduct young pretty women, rapes them, and kills them afterwards by bring their biggest fear to life. Then dumps their naked body in a random place. He had left five bodies over a 10-month period, until he just suddenly stopped. Whoosh! Vanished! Gone! Until now I guess…"

"Thank you, Price." Jack grunted, looking none to please with the very blunt explanation that was given.

"What makes you think this is the Fear Maker, Jack?" Will questioned.

"I don't know." Jack shook his head, as he quietly explained to Will and Hannibal. "When I saw that girl's body and the way she was killed I just knew. It made sense."

"Why start back up now if it's been five years?" Beverly asked. "What set him off?"

"I'm not sure…" Jack sighed in defeat.

"Hey, Jack!" Zeller shouted from where he hunched over the victim's body. "I found something!"

Zeller pulled out a bloody soaked photo from the victim's bra.

"Something appears written on the back." Price stated as he helped Zeller place the photo in a clear evidence bag. He then took the evidence from Zeller and looked over the photo, making a weird facial expression as he looked at the subject of the photo before turning it over to read the statement written on the back. "Lucky number 7! May her screams finally be my lullaby once and for all. Happy Fall Agent Crawford!"

Price handed the photo to Jack, who's expression became blank of all emotion the moment he saw the subject of the photo. Jack then suddenly erupted in anger. "Damn it!"

Will grabbed the photo from Jack, who was now stumping away from the crime scene. Whipping out his cellphone and frantically began making calls. Hannibal watched with extreme interest as he witnessed most of the blood in Will's face drain, his facial expression grim as he too looked at the photo. Will appeared numb to those around him as he continued to stare at the photo in his hands, he breathing soft and slow. Hannibal took the photo from Will, the evidence bag easily slipped from his numb fingers. Hannibal could see from the look in Will's eyes that his mind was fleeing with thoughts and images.

Hannibal Lecter looked over the photo that appeared to be causing a great disturbance to the BSU team. From what he could make out behind the blood the photo looked to be something taken for a work ID. The subject of the photo was a young woman. She appeared to be in her early twenties, her skin fair except for the dark rosy blush on her cheeks that Hannibal could tell was not from makeup – a skin condition he suspected. The young lady had a heart shape face and slender neck, her dark blouse accenting this feature. Her hair was light brown and pulled back in a high ponytail with a few long strands of hair loose. Her pink lips were pulled back in a big closed smiled that held the expression of excitement, but her hazel eyes told a different story. To most, the young woman looked happy, but Hannibal saw in her eyes that there was anguish behind the faux expression.

"Do you know the girl in the photo, Will?" Beverly asked, as she and the BSU team watched with confusion witnessing Jack and Will's behaviors.

"Yes," Will grunted as he felt all eyes on him. He looked over at Hannibal who was watching him intently, trying to put together the pieces. "She's my step-sister."

* * *

 **I hope you enjoyed what you have read so far! I struggled to write some of the characters personalities, sorry! Next chapter we meet Will's step-sister and her role in this story. If you are wondering if Will knows about Hannibal's little Ripper secret, you will just have to wait and see. Please review and stay tuned in for the next chapter! Thank you!**


	2. Chapter 2

Hello, here is chapter 2. This chapter introduces Will's step-sister Liv Graham! This chapter is much shorter than Ch.1, next one will move the story further along. Please let me know what you think of the story so far. Thank you and enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own anything that is related to Hannibal, everything belongs to Bryan Fuller and Thomas Harris.

* * *

 **Mason City, Iowa:**

"Damn it!"

Cursed 26-year-old Liv Graham as she tried to pull up her old navy blue scrub pants.

 _See this is what happens when you don't pay close attention to what the washer and drier setting are at._ Liv thought to herself, trying her best to squeeze herself into her favorite uniform. She sucked in her stomach and willed herself to fit into those damn pants.

"No…" She whimpered hearing the sound of fabric tearing and then a cool breeze running along her buttocks. Twisting her torso slightly, she looked down at her bottom and saw her pink and red polka dot underwear staring right back at her. Glancing at her alarm clock she saw that it was twenty minutes till she needed to be at work. "Shit!"

Quickly kicking off her ruined scrub pants, Liv pulled on a worn pair of black scrub pants and top that slipped right on. She hurried through her bedroom, grabbing what she needed for work – all while sloppily putting her hair up in a loose ponytail. Reaching underneath her bed for some socks, Liv felt her hand make contact with fabric and crumbled paper. Pulling her hand out from underneath the full size bed, she saw in her hand were a pair of mismatched socks and a piece of paper.

With one hand Liv pulled each sock on while soothing out the piece of paper that was underneath her bed. She came to a pause as she read the news article that she had printed several months ago.

' _Minnesota Strike Killed by FBI Agent Will Graham'_

Was the front header, below it was a picture of Will and Agent Jack Crawford speaking outside the Hobbs' resident in Bloomington, MN. Liv took a seat on her bed, looking over the article that she had crumpled up and tossed aside not long after printing it. She thought back to when the article came out several months ago.

It was well known throughout the mid-west over several months ago that a serial killer was targeting young brunette woman throughout Minnesota. Liv tried her best not to follow the story, until she heard the name 'Will Graham' being spoken all over the evening news. She didn't want to believe it at first that they were talking about the Will Graham she knew. Her Will.

But then she saw the recorded footage being broadcasted and soon followed by the photos of Will at the crime scene. Liv wanted to call Will so terribly right then and there when she saw what was happening to him. But a part of her was scared to. What did she say to him? _Hi, sorry we haven't talked for almost 3 years. I heard you killed a serial killer and now work for the man that almost got me killed. How are you doing?_ She just felt so lost on what to do. She wanted so badly to reconnect with Will, hating herself for distancing herself from him more and more each year. The last time they actually spoke and saw each other was 3 years ago at a Great Aunt's funeral in Ohio. They exchanged mostly pleasantries with each other, both of them still hurt by the words and actions of the other from the previous year. At the end of the funeral Liv felt bad for how she was treating Will, and gave him her new cell number and address. It killed Liv inside when Will gave her that broken smile as he accepted the piece paper and went on his way back to Wolf Trap, Virginia.

Liv turned her attention to a small antique jewelry box on the side table next to her bed. The jewelry box had once belonged to her mother. It was now one of Liv's most precious items and held other precious mementos. She stood up and walked over to the jewelry box. With a deep breath she opened the box and looked over the valuable content. With a jerking motion she reached down and grabbed the first ragged looking photo. Trying her best to fight back a tearful smile Liv looked down at the photo of her and her step-brother. They were just kids in the photo, both smiling big for the camera. But even at this age Will's smile wasn't truly a happy smile, there was already something broken inside him. Turning over the photo, Liv looked at the writing on the back.

 _Liv, 7 & Will, 13._

Her reminiscing was cut short by the sound of her cell phone buzzing in her pocket. She looked at the phone perplexed, not knowing the phone number that was being displayed – Liv hit the ignored button.

"Fuck!" She screeched when she saw what time her phone was showing. It was 2:57 pm, she was due to be at work 3:00 pm. _I'm so screwed right now!_ Liv panicked, throwing her cell phone is her pocket and hurried out of her bedroom and to her messy living room – her eyes searching everywhere for her work bag that contained all her essentials.

 _I'm so getting fired now!_ Liv worried, trying her best not to cry as her gut feeling told her that she was probably right. She already had two strikes against her recently for insubordination due to her disagreement with management in how they were handling certain problems on her unit. While Liv knew that many places were hiring Registered Nurses, but she really liked her place of work and didn't want to go anywhere else.

Liv was putting on her tennis shoes when her cell phone began to buzz again with the same unknown ID and number. As her cell phone was buzzing, the house phone began to go off.

"Are you kidding me . . ." Liv muttered, deciding that she better answer or else the person would probably keep call. With a frustrated sigh, she hit the accept icon – grabbing her work bag and car keys that were sitting on the couch, and headed for the front door. "Hello?"

"Liv, it's Agent Crawford." Liv stopped mid-locking the front door. It had been a long time since she heard the voice of Agent Jack Crawford. "I need you to-"

"Jack! Why are you calling me?" Liv finished locking her front door and headed towards her car parked across the street from her townhome. "I thought I made it clear when I told you that I never wanted to speak to you again!"

"Listen to me, Liv!" Jack spoke over her, while she contemplating just hanging up on him. "You're in danger! I have officers coming to pick you up and place you under protect custody."

At that very moment Liv noticed 2 squad cars came down her block, heading straight her way.

"Jack, what is going on?" Liv whispered, not liking the sick feeling in her stomach.

"The Fear Maker is back." Jack stated. Liv could hear a plane in the back ground. "He's named you his next target. I'm coming to get you myself. Will is going to be with too. I-"

"Wha-… what…"

Liv felt all the air knocked out of her, her mind overload with thoughts of Will and the Fear Maker.

"Liv, I need you to-"

Jack's voice became a distant echo as Liv's cellphone slipped from her hand. She felt her chest growing tighter by the second, the need to breathe becoming too great. Liv looked up for a moment at the squad cars as they came to a stop several feet from her. She watched as the officers exited their vehicles holding up their badges and introducing themselves to Liv, or that was at least what she thought they were doing – all she could see was their lips moving, but no sound coming out. One moment everything was upright and clear, and the very next it was all upside down and quickly fading to black.

* * *

 **Next chapter will explain how Jack and Liv know each, and will explore the relationship of Liv & Will, and soon Hannibal. Also we will learn more about the Fear Maker! Thank you for reading, please review!**


	3. Chapter 3

Happy Halloween! Thank you to everyone who has been reading this story, it feels great to know people like what I'm posting. If you have any feedback good or bad please let me know. I hope you all enjoy this new chapter, it drives a bit more into how Liv and Jack know each other. I promise next chapter things start to really pick up, these first few chapters are introductions. Enjoy and thank you!

Disclaimer: I do not own anything that is related to Hannibal, everything belongs to Bryan Fuller and Thomas Harris.

* * *

" _The Fear Maker is back."_

Jack Crawford's words kept repeating through Liv's head, as she stared blankly at the television set in the Mason City police breakroom. She tapped her short fingernails impatiently on the break room table. The police had informed her a couple hours ago that Agent Crawford would be coming to Mason City, Iowa himself to escort Liv back to Quantico. Glancing up at the clock Liv figured Jack would be here within the next half-hour to hour.

" _The Fear Maker is back."_

Liv feeling a headache coming on strong, she rubbed the side of her temples – hoping to relieve the pressure she felt building inside.

" _The Fear Maker is back."_

Liv bit the inside of her check, her lips quivering as she felt herself begin to panic. Her eyes burned from trying to fight back to the tears that threaten to be unleashed. The headache intensified with each passing moment Liv tried to keep her emotions in check. At first she passed off her headache from her moment of passing out. The officers who came to collect her from home stated that she appeared to have passed out while speaking to Agent Crawford, and smacked her head on the pavement. She was unconscious for approximately 1 minutes before coming around. Liv declined all offers to be taken to the nearest medical facility to be evaluated. She knew why she had passed out and did not need to be assessed. Now she was beginning to regret declining those offers.

" _The Fear Maker is back."_

"Damn it..." Liv groaned as she kept hearing Jack Crawford's voice in her head. She kept trying to tell herself that Jack was wrong, that they had come across a mistake in their investigation of whatever case the BSU was working. Why would the Fear Maker wait almost 5 years to strike again let alone target her?

' _You know why. You're the one that got away.'_

Liv knew deep down that her story with the Fear Maker was far from being finished.

* * *

 **5 Years Ago – Behavioral Science Unit – FBI, Quantico, Virginia**

 _Liv tried her best not to squirm in her seat as she waited by the main desk area of the Behavioral Science Unit. She looked down at her nice white button down blouse and began to fidget with her temporary ID badge given to her by the FBI that hung from neck._

" _Ms. Graham?" A deep voice called out. Liv broke her attention from her ID badge to see a man, who she recognized as Agent Jack Crawford – Head of the Behavioral Science Unit, looking her way._

 _Liv had last semester seen Agent Crawford give a lecture at her college that explained a new special internship the FBI was implementing next spring for undergraduate students. He had inspired many of her classmates to want to join the FBI at any given chance. While Liv thought, his lecture was impressive she wasn't sure about a career with the FBI. She had chosen to major in criminology and psychology because of her brother and at the urging of teachers and classmates over time. While Liv had been successful in her studies thus far, a part of herself felt incomplete as she dove further into her major. Liv knew inside that she was not cut out for this type of work. These feelings left her confused and wondering what had gotten into her mind to apply for the special internship program Agent Crawford spoke to them about. Liv felt her chance of receiving one of the 5 spots against thousands of applicants from colleges throughout the United States were very, very, very slim. Her academic record and achievements were piss poor next to many of the other applicants._

 _That's why she nearly had a panic attack when she received a official letter in the mail from the FBI informing her that she had been selected to intern under Agent Jack Crawford in the Behavioral Science Unit. Liv tried her best to hid the news from her step-brother Will, knowing his thoughts and feeling about the Behavioral Science Unit. He had recently accepted a teaching position at the Quantico, after being refused field work due to be "unstable" and unable to pull the trigger. He was visiting her at college when he found the acceptance letter from the FBI in her dorm room. Internally Liv cringed when she recalled the argument that ensued between her and Will._

" _Agent Crawford," She spoke, standing up from her chair and walked towards Agent Crawford who stood at the front of a hallway that led back where the BSU teams worked. "It's nice to meet you, sir."_

" _Nice to meet you as well, Ms. Graham." Liv tried her best to hid her anxiety as she shook hands with the Head of the Behavioral Science Unit of the FBI. "Congratulations, on be selected to intern at the BSU. We're welcomed to have you here!"_

" _Thank you, sir." Liv smiled softy, fighting back the urge to play with the sides of her pants pocket to cope with her nerves. "I'm glad to be here."_

 _Agent Crawford demeanor was serious as he let go of Liv's hand, his eyes glanced down at her hands that were fidgeting at her sides. Crawford's facial expression softened as he looked Liv in the eye. "You can relax, Ms. Graham."_

" _Sorry..." Liv apologized not realizing how much she was fidgeting. "Old habit."_

" _It's okay, completely understandable." Crawford smiled before nodding his head back towards the BSU. "Come on, I'll show you where you'll be assisting my team and I for the next year."_

 _Liv quickly learned all the rules and expectations she was to follow while working in the BSU. Agent Crawford expressed that the top rules she needed to follow were strict confidentially regarding the cases and the sensitive material she would be exposed to; all work and information Liv collected was to go through Agent Crawford before it became part of the case file; and the top rule of all Liv was to follow and obey was – no field work and absolutely no contact with suspects, victims/ victims' families, or witnesses. Agent Crawford emphasized that it was very important that Liv followed the last rule for her protection and safety. Ultimately she was Agent Crawford's responsibility and he did not want to see her get hurt._

 _Over the next seven months Liv became exceptionally good at her work for the BSU and Agent Crawford, even though she ran into several bumps along the way figuratively. While she was not able to assist Jack and his team in the field, Crawford was impressed by Liv's way of looking at the cases he gave her. He was impressed enough with her work thus far that he decided to hand her a case file he had been sitting on several weeks to give her._

" _Hello, sir." Liv watched Agent Jack Crawford approach the small work space set up for her at the back of the BSU building. Her desk was covered by multiple stacks of papers. Liv tried her best to reorganize her clutter, hoping Crawford wouldn't be upset by her mess. "Sorry for the disarray of my work space, sir."_

" _How many times must I tell you Liv, please call me Jack." Jack laughed, finding it humorous at how flustered Liv was trying to reorganizing her disaster of a desk._

" _Sorry, sir… Jack." Liv glanced at Jack's hands to see he was holding a case file. "New case?"_

" _Yes, it." Jack stated and leaned against the side of Liv's desk, shield the name of the file from Liv's eye sight. He stared at her for a moment in deep thought, before proceeding. "Now, I want to commend you on your work with the BSU so far. I've been very impressed with the results you've given my team and I. If you decide to pursue a career with the FBI, you're well on your way of securing a spot with the BSU. Even if you choose not to join the FBI, I would still be pleased to write you a recommendation once your time here is done."_

" _Oh… uh... thank you, Jack. That's very nice of you to say." Liv was at lost what to say, not sure where Crawford was coming from. She couldn't believe the praise she was receiving from the Head of the BSU. From what Liv, had seen and heard, she was a long shot from being as good as most of the agents and trainees in the BSU. "So, what's the new case?"_

 _The smile dropped from Jack's face. His facial expression become somber as he handed Liv the case file._

" _This case came into our possession several weeks ago, all leads and evidence giving us nothing. Until," Jack reached into another folder he was holding and slid several images across the desk towards Liv. The images were of a naked young white petite woman with pixie cut blonde hair, covered head to toe in blood, swelling, and bruising from what appeared to be snake bites. "the fourth victim was recently found 2 days ago in North Carolina. I believe it would be good for you to assist us on this case. Have some new eyes to look and interpret the evidence."_

 _Liv toyed with the corner of the case file, tempted to look at what was inside – but there was nagging question in the back of Liv's mind that had been bugging her for some time. She needed to ask Crawford before going any forward.  
_

" _Agent Crawford- .. I mean Jack," Liv corrected herself, glancing up at Jack. He still had the somber facial expression. " With what you said a moment ago about my work here, I.. I've been wondering lately. Um… why me, sir?"_

" _Why you?" Crawford questioned, unsure what Liv was asking._

" _Why did you pick me?" Liv asked, biting the inside of her mouth. "You had thousands of applications to choose from for this position. Quite a few were way more qualify than me to provide the high-quality results you expect. What… what made me so different from the others? I'm far from being the successful academic the FBI is looking for."_

" _Yes, academically you're scores and grades aren't the greatest." Crawford confirmed, "but I wasn't looking for that. I wanted someone who wasn't your standard cookie cutter of an FBI wannabee. I wanted someone who usually the bureau would overlook in the application process. Someone's who thought process and thinking differs from what Quantico expects of its recruit. I wanted someone who could go beyond unconventionally thinking. Which is exactly what I saw in your application, and that is why I am handing you this case. Do I need to qualify it any further?"_

 _Liv shook her head no, but something in her gut told her that there was more that Jack wasn't telling her but that was for another time. Liv looked at the case file in her hands. "So what are we calling this case?"_

" _The Fear Maker."_

 **Present Day – Mason City, Iowa**

Liv sat in her chair with her legs crossed, biting nervously at her finger nails. She was staring blankly at the television set when she heard the police station break room door open.

"Liv..."

Liv spun quickly around in her seat, her eyes meeting Jack Crawford's weary gaze. Crawford had not changed more in the last four years since they last saw one another – his hair showed more gray and he looked dead tired, but overall he looked the same.

"Agent Crawford." Liv acknowledged him as she stood up from her seat, crossing her arms over her chest as she watched Crawford stand by the door.

Crawford glanced over his shoulder and nodded to someone outside the room. Liv watched Jack enter the room slowly, hands in his pockets as he casually walked towards the other side of the table Liv was sitting at. Liv glanced back over towards the door way when she saw moment, instantly she felt her stomach drop to the floor.

"What the hell, Jack?" Liv practically shouted at Jack, who remained emotionless while Liv took in the sight of Will Graham walking into the room. "Why is Will here?"

"Will is a special consultant for the FBI. He's here to help, Liv." Jack explained as Will came to stand by his side. Jack looked between Will and Liv, noticing that neither was breaking eye contact with the other – he found this a little odd as Will hardly maintained long moments of eye contact with anyone. "Now, if you would please take a seat, we can get started."

Liv stood still for a few moments longer, continuing to stare at Will. He looked more rugged than Liv last saw him, he also held himself in a different way than she last remembered – but that wasn't what put Liv off that something was different about Will. There was something in his eyes that was divergent and almost forbidden in the way he looked at her, he no longer looked like he was trying to hide something from her. Liv quickly understood that the Will Graham she was now looking at was an evolved vision from the one she saw 3 year ago.

She finally broke eye contact with Will and took a seat across from him and Jack at the table. Jack and Will proceeded to take their seats at the table. Jack reached inside his coat pocket and pulled out several photos. He preceded to lay them out in front of Liv in a scattered order, who shortly realized the photos were of what she assumed to be a murder victim.

"Her name was Lea Dalestorm." Jack explained. "She's believed to have been the Fear Maker's sixth victim. We've learned that Lea had a severe fear of bleeding to death due to her blood disorder. As you can see she bled out. Recent evidence also indicates that she was sexually assaulted before being killed."

"How sure are you that this is even the Fear Maker or that I'm his next intended victim?" Liv questioned Will and Jack as she pushed the photos back towards, feeling frustrated that this was happening. "It could be a copycat for all you know. Some of the details from his previous victims were made public."

"Because we found this on Lea Dalestorm's body." Will pulled out an evidence bag and slide it towards Liv. "We're fairly sure that he's targeting you next, Liv."

Liv could tell inside the bag contained a photo that was upside down, allowing her to read what was on the back of the photo. Liv felt sick to her stomach as she read the message before turning over the evidence bag and seeing the blood-soaked photo of her. She let out a heavy sigh before pushing the clear evidence bag away.

"So what happens now?" Liv whispered, as she leaned back in her seat and crossed her arms over her chest.

"You're coming back with us to Virginia tonight." Jack informed her, surprised at how good Liv was cooperating with them. "I feel better having you closer than living here in Iowa. You can either stay at one of the safe house at Quantico until we catch the Fear Maker, or Will has already offered for you to stay with him. It's up to you, Liv."

Liv looked towards Will seeing in his eyes that the decision had already been made for her on where she would be staying. She had witnessed that stare once before which meant good and back news for Liv the moment she was alone with Will.

 _'Oh … I'm fucked **.'**_

* * *

 **And the fun begins! Next chapter things start to move more along. Liv will be returning to Virginia where she gets to meet the BSU team and our favorite Doctor. As I said previously if you have any feedback please let me know. Thank you again to everyone for reading and supporting this story! Please review!**


	4. Chapter 4

Hello! Sorry, for the long wait I was having difficulties in trying to write this chapter, but problem solved now. I'm having a hard time trying to writer Hannibal, if any has any tips that would be great. I want to thank everyone who has been reading and supporting this story! It is greatly appreciated! I especially want to to thank Nameless Fable for their support! Please let me know any feedback you may have good or bad. Please enjoy this chapter, more to come soon!

Disclaimer: I do not own anything that is related to Hannibal. Everything belongs to Bryan Fuller, NBC, and Thomas Harris.

* * *

 _It was pitch black outside, the only light source coming from the full moon illuminating from the dark sky upon the long stretch of a deserted walk path on a college campus. Liv could see her breath forming around her as she breathed the cool fall air in and out. Her eyes shifted from side to side, frequently checking from anything usual. No one was insight on the path, many choosing either to party in town or stay indoor on the cold November night._

 _Liv found herself unable to sleep, her head filled with too many thoughts and images of torture and death from the Fear Maker case. Crawford had been pushing her mind hard these last few weeks to help solve the case after the fifth victim had been found approximately a month ago. Slowly over the last couple weeks Liv found her mental health gradually decline the further she was pushed into the Fear Maker Case, practically forced to immerse herself into the imaginary shoes of the victims in their last moments. Repeatedly Liv voiced her concerns to Crawford that what he asked of her wasn't possible, her imagination wasn't as vivid as it needed to be for what Jack wanted. Her pleaded fell on deaf ears._

 _As her mental health declined, Liv's paranoia skyrocketed. For the last week, she felt herself being watched no mattered where she was – in class, at the BAU, in her door room, or even in the show. She felt that someone was always there watching her, waiting to strike but no matter how many times she searched for the source either no one was there or nothing was out of the ordinary. Liv found herself very close to resigning from her internship program as Crawford pushed her to the breaking point. She wanted nothing more than to say fuck it!_

 _ **Crack!**_

 _Halting in her footsteps, Liv glanced over her shoulder for the source of the noise heard._

 _ **Crack! Crack!**_

 _Liv quickly turned forward the noise coming from another direction. She tried to calm herself down as she felt her breathing being to hitch with each breath, her body trembling a deep sense of dread washed over her. She stood still listening for any further sounds, everything was dead quiet … until it suddenly wasn't._

" _Uhh!"_

 _The wind was knocked out of Liv as a large fist suddenly connected with the side of her face, sending her flying to the ground with a hard thud. A sharp headache blinded her for several moments as she tried to gain her bearings of what had just occurred and then she felt large strong hands grasping her legs._

" _Ah!" Liv tried to pull her legs back and blindly kicking her attacker as they tried to crouch between her legs. She tried her best to open her eyes, but the splinting headache she felt made this very difficult. All she could see was darkness and masculine figure crouching before her, suddenly she felt another hard punch to the head that sent her reeling back to the ground._

 _Feeling helpless and her grasp on staying conscious slipping away, Liv desperately felt for anything to defend herself with. Just as she could grab a hold of rock, a blinding stabbing pain radiate throughout her right side. All the air rushed out of her lungs as she let out a silent scream._

* * *

"Ah..."

Liv startled awake, clutching the thin blanket on top of her closely to her chest. Her hazel eyes glancing frantically around the low lighted office she was in, her mind foggy as images and feelings of her attack rapidly came crashing down on her. She was unsure of where she was or if she was still sleeping, her mind unable to process what was going on.

"Liv?"

She glanced towards the doorway and saw Will standing there with two coffee cups in his hands. He was looking at her with deep concern as he took in her frighten expression. Liv was still curled up on an office couch, shielding herself with a little blanket.

"You okay?" Will closed the gap between where he stood and Liv sat with a few strides of his long legs. He set the cups on the coffee table and took a seat next to Liv on the couch as she sat up and leaned against the back of the couch. "What happened?"

"Nothing, I'm fine." Liv stated as her brain fog cleared and she began to remember that she was at the BAU in Quantico, and she was currently sitting in Special Agent Jack Crawford's office. Her, Will, and Jack had arrived very late back to Virginia from Mason City, Iowa early this morning after the flight had been delayed several times due to weather or maintenance issues. Jack felt it was unsafe and would be a waste of time for Will and Liv to drive all the way to Wolf Trap, be there maybe a couple hours before needing to be back to Quantico. It was because of this decision by Jack that Liv now found herself waking up in Crawford's office. "Just forgot where I was for a moment. I'm okay, Will."

"You sure?" Will asked, not entirely believe Liv – he could tell from the look in her eyes that there was more going on than her just being confused for moment with her surroundings. "Because it sure looked more than that?"

"I'm fine." Liv stated, being to feel irritated with her step-brother. They had barely spoke to one another since Jack and Will escorted her back from Iowa to Virginia. The tension had been high between then since they saw each other at the police station, neither seeing the other for almost 3 years. When Jack and Will had taken Liv to her town home to collect some of her things and change into regular clothes, Liv had been tempted to grab Will and pull him into her bedroom to speak with him in private. There was so much she wanted to say to him but didn't want any of it to be heard by Jack or anyone else.

"I brought you a cup of hot water with a couple slices of lemon." Will changed the subject, knowing being at the BAU was not the right place to drill Liv on her behavior the last few years. From what he had seen the last 24 hours, things were starting to fall into place and began to make of why Liv had been acting a certain way for so long. "I remembered your strong dislike for coffee."

He handed Liv the cup of hot water. His heart skipped a beat for a moment at the gentle smile Liv sent his way as she accepted the cup. She mouthed a thank you to him before taking a sip of the hot liquid.

They stared each other in the eye for several moments as they both contently sipped their drinks. Both wondering who should make the first move to address the issue that needed to be discussed, but both had avoided the topic for such a long time that they did not know where to start. The moment was quickly cut short as Liv's cellphone began to go off on the coffee table.

"Shit, it's work." Liv swore, quickly setting down her cup and picked up the phone. "Hello? … Hi Sandy. I kno-…. Yes, I'm aware. I-"

Will watched as Liv's facial expression went from stressed, to panic, to now fear. She gave him a sad smile and mouthed to give her a moment. Liv zipped off the couch, out the door, leaning against the wall across from Jack's office. Will couldn't hear any of the conversation, but he could tell from Liv's body language that it was not a very pleasant phone call. He knew she was having some trouble with her work as he had overheard her making a comment to Jack at the police station that she needed to call work and discuss her situation or else she was looking at unemployment. It looked like the latter was happening.

While Will continued to cast glances at Liv, who now had her back turned to him, he looked down at his own cellphone. He saw the time was 6:53 am. Jack had instructed the team he wanted them ready and in the lab at 7:00 am sharp. Last Will saw of Jack; he was taking a phone call outside from Bella.

Will scrolled through his phone and read over the text messages he received from Hannibal while he was away. Hannibal had volunteered to care for Will's dog and set up the upstairs bedroom for Liv while he was gone. It turned out it was perfect planning on Hannibal's part because Will had an unannounced visitor while Hannibal was present at Will's home.

 _It would appear you have unexpected company tonight. Shall I greet our guest? – H_

Below Hannibal text was a blurry dark picture of a young while tall handsome man clad in all black walking around the backside of Will's home. Will could tell Hannibal was in the upstairs bedroom when he took the photo.

 _No. Do you think he knows you're there? – W_

Hannibal had been parking his Bentley further from Will's house lately to keep his presence a secret after it was discovered by Will that Freddie Lounds had been making frequent drive byes of Will's home. She was trying to gather any information about him that she could spin into a scandal for her ridiculous website, including exploiting his relationship with Dr. Lecter weather it was true or not.

 _No. I parked in my usual spot. The dogs are all sleeping and I'm upstairs in the dark at the current moment. He appeared very intrigued with the outside layout of your home. He has tried to open several windows downstairs but was unsuccessful. I believe the Fear Maker knows where Miss Liv will be staying during her time in Virginia. – H_

 _I believe you might be right Doctor. The question is how he knows this? Let me know when he leaves. Thank you! – W_

A couple hours while they were midway through their flight to Virginia, Hannibal texted Will back that the mysterious man had just left. During that time of waiting Hannibal had snapped several flawless profile shots of the unsuspecting intruder. Neither of them knew or recognized the man in the photos, but both had a strong inkling that this man was related to the Fear Maker in some way or another.

Will slid his phone in his pocket as he saw Liv end her phone call and come back to Jack's office with a melancholy expression. She was toying with the side of her cellphone when she entered Jack's office and looked towards Will.

"Well, I guess I won't have to worry about having enough time off to cover my shifts while here." Liv frowned, trying her best to fight back to the tears. "I got fired..."

"What happened?" Will stood up and began to meet Liv in the middle of the room. He did not liking seeing her in distress

"I've been on thin ice with some of them in management for a while, not conforming the way they want me too. This whole mess gave them the opportunity they needed to let me go, so they did." Liv shrugged her shoulder, trying to keep herself from crying in front of Will. "I never truly liked working there anyways…"

"It's going to be okay, Liv." Will stated stepping closer towards her and placing a hand on her shoulder. Liv looked up at him with unshed tears in her eyes, grabbing Will's hand on her shoulder and giving it a soft squeeze. It was at this moment that the two realized how much they missed the other's company.

"Will," Liv took a deep breath, ready to discuss the subject they both had been avoiding. "I'm sor-"

"Will. Liv. I need you both in the lab now. Everyone is already here, including Dr. Lecter and Dr. Bloom." Jack popped his head into his office, ignoring the obvious moment between Liv and Will. "Now please!"

Will and Liv watched Jack walk away before either of them could answer. Jack presence quickly dampened Liv courage to speak to Will and she let go of his hand and stepped away. Will noticed this with a sad frown. He had concluded since Liv's reaction towards Jack in Iowa that something had happened between them when Liv worked as an intern there five years ago. He knew from what Jack had told him that Liv had assisted him in working the Fear Maker case file, but he refused to go beyond that. No mention of how or why Liv was the Fear Maker's next intended target. He looked at Liv, ready to ask her himself why the Fear Maker was targeting her.

"Liv," Will got Liv's attention as she walked away from him to put on her old beat up tennis shoes. "Do you know why the Fear Maker is targeting you as his next victim? From what we know he's been dormant for almost five years. Why suddenly start again and target you?"

Liv paused in the movement of tying her shoes for a moment before continuing with the motions, not answering his question – her body language tense. She finished tying her shoes and walked back over to where Will stood in the middle of the room.

"Why don't you ask Jack, Will." Liv told him, he could see his question set something off inside Liv. She had a vexing look in her eyes, something Will hadn't seen in some time. "As I can clearly see now, Jack has not told you everything about this case."

With that said, Liv left a puzzled Will in Jack's office.

* * *

Liv fidgeted in her seat next to one of the exam tables in the BAU lab. Jack was currently going over the case with the team, which consisted of – Will, Special Agents Beverly Katz, Brian Zeller, and Jimmy Price – Liv recognized Price from her time there five years ago, but he was not working under Jack's special team at the time. She was also introduced to Dr. Alana Bloom and Dr. Hannibal Lecter, who would be assisting in building a profile of the killer. Everyone was welcoming in having Liv there, but she could see most were uncomfortable and stumped at the idea that Will had a step-sister, unsure if she was unstable like him – except for Dr. Lecter.

Dr. Lecter looked at Liv with a peculiar glint in his burgundy eyes, he almost seemed fascinated with her present there. Liv found her gaze drawn to the well dressed, tall, dark and handsome doctor many times during Jack's briefing. Dr. Lecter had a unusual aura about him that Liv couldn't quite place.

"From what we know there have been six victims identified thus far." Jack stated, standing in front of a white board that was categorized and divided by each victim listed 1-6. "The victims have always been white females. Ranging in ages from 20-27 years old. All of them having different physical attributes and backgrounds. The things them all have in common is they were each brutally sexually assaulted before being killed by what they feared most."

"Do you have any idea why he's picking these girls?" Dr. Bloom spoke from where she stood nearby Jack. Liv noticed that Dr. Bloom had a professional but casual look about her, wearing a loose knee length red dress with dark purple floral designs and 3 inch black high heels. "What's motivating him to kills these girls this way?"

"Not yet, I'm afraid." Jack let out a deep sigh. "That's why I'm hoping you and Dr. Lecter could provide assistances in building this profile. Maybe you both are seeing something we've been missing."

"Why did the killer murder 5 of these girls in a 10-month period, stop and then suddenly start back up five years later?" Special Agent Zeller asked with an arrogant attitude towards Crawford, before setting his sights on Liv. She didn't like the way his eyes lingered over her body. "And why is he after Graham's step-sister? Why target her of all people?"

"Maybe it a slight towards Will?" Beverly Katz chimed in, glancing over at Will who was staring at Jack intensely. "His names be all over the papers and media last several months. Maybe someone wants to get a rise out of him by targeting someone he knows personally."

"Do you know you're being targeted, Liv?" Alana looked at her with curiosity. "From what Jack told Dr. Lecter and I, you worked here five years ago while an undergraduate as an intern for the BAU. This case was one of which you assisted on. Is there anything you can add that could help us?"

"Yes, I have a good idea of why I'm being targeted." Liv stated with a small smile, sitting up straight in her chair. She felt goosebumps covering her body as everyone shifted their gaze on her. Some appeared surprised at the softness of her voice, having not heard her speaking yet. Liv maintained eye contact with Jack as she sat up straight, he was giving her a look to be careful of what she said next – he was silently warning her to not say too much or else things were going to get out of control quick. After Liv came to the realization during her talk with Will earlier that Jack clearly had not been telling them everything, she decided on something – fuck Jack Crawford and fuck his authority. "I was originally supposed to be the 6th victim, but it appears Jack forget to mention that part to everyone during his briefing."

Everyone, but Will and Hannibal stared at Liv dumbfounded while Jack looked at her with silent rage. This put him in a very bad spot. Will and Hannibal were not total surprised by the revelation that Liv had been previously targeted, it made sense with how intent the surprise visitor at Will's home had been looking over his property. Liv had gotten away once; the Fear Maker was not going to let it happen a second time it seemed.

"Is this true, Jack?" Alana questioned Jack, but she knew by the look the head Agent was sending Liv's way that it was true. "Why did you not say anything? That changes things completely in building this profile."

"Because I felt it was not relevant at this time, Dr. Bloom. It's something that was on a need to know bases." Jack spoke in an authoritative voice, making Beverly, Alana, Price, and Zeller take a step back as he gave each of them a hard stare to question him again. Jack looked to Liv with a stern expression. "Also we were never able to confirm that it was the Fear Maker, Liv."

"Bullshit." Liv swore at the Head Agent of the BAU. She now stood up from where she sat, secretly glad she was several feet away from Jack or else he would be towering over her. "I ended up in the hospital for two days because you thought last time it was irrelevant to let me know that the Fear Maker was after me."

"Wait, what?" Will now spoke up, he looked between Jack and Liv with confusion. "What do you mean you ended up in the hospital for two days? Why wasn't I told about this, Liv? Jack? Why wasn't I told?"

Hannibal took in the scene unfolding before him with great interest. He savored the moments where he witnessed someone or something get under Jack Crawford's skin, which appeared from the displeased Crawford was sending Liv Graham's way, that she had done just that. He found himself entertained by Liv's attempt to be a thorn in Crawford's side. Even though he did not care for the profanity she used, something he planned to fix soon. Hannibal found himself fascinated at meeting the young woman who invoked a sense of protectiveness from dear Will, especially when Will was informed that serial killer was marking Liv for death. Hannibal had only seen such protectiveness from Will for Abigail, but he could see that what Will felt for Liv was much different and far deeper than what he felt for Abigail Hobbs. There was a look of possessiveness in the way Will stared at Liv when he thought no one was looking. It was obvious to Hannibal that there was more to Will and Liv's relationship than just step-siblings. He felt a sense of delight at the prospect of seeing where things would develop with his influence and guidance.

* * *

 **Thank you for reading! To answer some questions here are the answers:** **1) Yes, Will already knows about Hannibal. Which will be explored at a later date. 2) Yes, this will be a Will/OC/Hannibal but that will not happen until later too. If you have any feedback please let me know of what you think of this story. Thank you once again for your support and time! Please review! Next chapter coming soon... Liv and Hannibal meet in private.**


	5. Chapter 5

Hi everyone! Here is the next chapter in the story. Thank you to everyone for your support! This is a pretty long chapter, but it gives some answers that you may of been thinking. I want to remind people that I do not have anyone to proof read my stories, so I am sorry if the grammar and spelling mistakes are annoying. Sorry! Please let me know of any feedback you may have good or bad. Thank you and enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own anything that is related to Hannibal. Everything belongs to Bryan Fuller, NBC, and Thomas Harris.

* * *

"What the hell do you think you are doing?"

Jack shouted at Liv the moment he closed his office door. He had demanded to speak with her in private after she disrespected him in front of his whole team in the lab. Will and Alana had objections to Jack speaking with Liv alone, but Jack was not going to stand for disobedience and obnoxious behavior, and ordered for them to stay out of it.

"I was just getting some of the facts out there, Jack. I- "

"No! You do not speak right now." Jack cut Liv off, "I am the superior agent in charge here! I will not tolerate such disruptive behavior, especially not in front of my colleges. If you had something to say you should have asked to speak with me in private. Not do it in the manner you just did, Liv. Do you have any idea what this now make me look like to my team? I am the authoritative figure here, not you! Do you understand me?"

"Jack, - "

"Do you understand?" Crawford voiced boomed again, his tone and facial expression cold. Liv could clearly see that she had seriously crossed a line with Jack that should of not be crossed. "Well?"

"Yes." Liv mumbled, looking away from Jack intense glare. "I understand, Jack. Sorry."

"And you will not do that again, correct?"

Liv bit her lower lip, unsure of what to say. She wanted to say yes just to get out of being alone with Jack, but the defiant part of her wanted to defy Jack further. So, Liv stood still in the middle Agent Crawford's office not speaking a word or making eye contact with the man. Jack's nostrils flared for a moment before he walked away from the door way and took a couple steps towards Liv.

"I did not hear you, Miss Graham. This will not happen again, right?"

"You weren't telling them everything, Jack." Liv spoke. "You were doing the same thing to your team what you did to me five years ago, withholding information but still expecting the same results. It's not right."

"Yes, I may of skip over telling my team about your previous encounter with the Fear Maker, but that did not give you the right to disrespect me like that in front of everyone." Jack stated with a frown. "If I am going to allow you to assist with this case, I need your full cooperation, Liv. You are here by invitation, I can easily have you removed and kept in one of the safe houses."

"Stop using threats against me, Jack. You have Will on your team, he's way better at this stuff than I am." Liv sneered, not liking the threats Jack kept making. She was not even sure legally how much Jack could do with her, but was in no mood to find out. "Anyways, you broke the deal we made. So, I have every right to be mad at you and calling your crap when I see it!"

"I wouldn't exactly call what we had was a deal." Jack let a low chuckle at Liv statement. "You agreed not to say anything about my lapse in judgement about the Fear Maker case to my superiors. In returned I made sure Will did not find out about your attack and hospitalization. It would appear you are not up holding our agreement."

"You also promised not to recruit Will."

"I never actually said that." Jack shot back, frustrated that Liv would not stop bring up things from the past. He desperately wanted to get back to the case, solve it, and move on. "I needed Will to catch the Minnesota Shrike. I was running out of options! Will's mind works in ways that almost no one in the BAU or FBI can do. If he is available to me I am going to use him! I'm not sorry, Liv."

"How did he ended up back in the field? I thought Will couldn't pass the psych evaluation? To unstable." Liv had been wanting to ask this question since seeing Will's face on the news after he killed the Minnesota Shrike. "How did you do it?"

"I had Dr. Lecter perform the evaluation on him, who is an expert in his field. Will passed his evaluation, end of story." Jack let out a deep sigh. "Can we please move on, Liv? The Fear Maker is out there right now roaming free. I want to catch this bastard before he strikes again!"

"You mean before he kills me." Liv whispered as she felt her chest tighten up with anxiety at the thought of the Fear Maker.

"I won't let him get you, Liv." Jack looked her straight in the eye with a somber expression. "You're safe."

"That's what you said last time." Liv reminded him with a broken smile. "Don't make promises you can't keep, Jack."

Jack appeared at loss of words. He let a long sigh, rubbing a hand up and down his face several times.

"Everyone is waiting for us. We should head back before more time is wasted." Jack stated with a hint of exhaustion in his voice. "Just promise me that you won't have any further outburst like that, please? If you have an issue, please address it in private."

"Fine."

Satisfy with Liv's answer, Jack walked back to the door and signaled for her to walk out as he held it open. While there was still a great deal of tension between her and Jack, Liv did as what was asked and walked back to the BAU lab where everyone was waiting for them.

The team had not waited for Jack and Liv to return, already starting the work they were each responsible for. In the far corner of the lab she could see Zeller and Price placing the newest Fear Maker victim on an autopsy table. This caught Liv off guard as she had never actually seen the body of the victims except in photographs. While the body was covered by a standard sheet, Liv could still make out the petite silhouette of the woman underneath, blood stains scattered throughout the material covering her body. Jack walked over towards the two special agents, questioning them on how long the autopsy was going to take.

"Everything okay?" Will walked up to Liv out of nowhere. He looked distressed as he towered over her. "You were in there for a while with Jack."

"Yeah, everything is fine." Liv looked away from Will fiery stare. "What is everyone doing?"

Will stared at Liv for a few more moments, hoping she would tell him what her and Jack spoke about. When she didn't, Will knew he would have to get it out of her later.

"Well, Zeller and Price are doing their autopsy on the victim. Bev is pulling the case files from five years ago for Alana and Hannibal, who are currently debating and analyzing the intriguing information that Jack forgot to mention." Will watched Liv for a response, but she remained quiet and emotionless – staring over at the autopsy that beginning. "Why didn't you tell me you had been attacked?"

Liv finally looked back at Will, see could clearly see that he was not only upset, but also hurt that she had kept this secret from him. "It's complicated."

"Well uncomplicated it." Will snapped at her. "I deserve an answer, Liv. We're family."

Liv gave Will a hard stare at his comment, she wanted to snap back at him but held back from doing so. What she wanted to really say to Will would not go over well in public, especially not around the presence Jack and his team, Dr. Bloom, or Dr. Lecter.

"Liv,"

Liv looked to behind her to see Dr. Bloom. Dr. Lecter standing close by Will, who seemed undisturbed by the closeness of the doctor.

"How are you doing?"

"I'm fine." She was getting sick of being asked that question. "Have you and Dr. Lecter looked through the case files yet?"

"Somewhat. That actually brings me to the next topic I wanted to discuss with you." Alana said, she shared a look with Hannibal for a moment before looking back at Liv. She took a small deep breath. "Dr. Lecter and I spoke about the case, and decided that while having you assist would provide some benefits as you have worked it before. We both feel that it may not be best for you to be here. With what you went through before, and suddenly being uprooted from your life now – your judgement maybe not as clear as it needs to be to analysis the evidence."

"So, you're basically saying I'm incompetent?" Liv looked at Dr. Bloom with bewilderment.

"No," Dr. Lecter stated. This was the first-time Liv had heard the renowned psychiatric speak beside from introductions. She was not expecting to hear the slight accent in his speech. "We believe that with the previous emotional and physical trauma you experience before, along with the stress of being targeted again, you will not have a clear conscious. We feel it would be in your best interest to not actually be present here at the BAU or crime scenes until the initial shock subsides. A couple days at least."

"I'm fi- "

"What do you suggest she do then?" Will cut Liv off, he could sense that she was getting very irritated again. "Go home and wait for us to catch the killer?"

"In a way, yes." Alana confirmed with a small smile. "You can work on the case still Liv, but just not here or actual crime scenes. Dr. Lecter and I selected a few case files that we believe would be beneficial for you to look over. Some of them contain reports you wrote about the victims."

"So where do you suggest I go then to look at the files if you don't want me here?" Liv was feeling very irritated, but also confused at the whole situation.

"You can go back to my place. You're staying there anyways. I'll grab my stuff and we can go." Will answered, feeling a bit relieved to get away from Jack and the FBI for a while. This would also give him a chance to speak with Liv in private, away from the possibility of being overheard.

"No," Jack cut in having stood in the background listening to the conversation. "I need you here, Will. I do agree with Dr. Bloom and Dr. Lecter though. It would probably benefit Liv to not be around all this again yet…. Dr. Lecter, how about you escort Liv back to Wolf Trap. Would that be an issue?"

"Not at all, but is that what Miss Graham wants?" Hannibal asked, his maroon eyes staring down Liv with acute interest. "I do not want to make you uncomfortable. If you would prefer for Will or someone else- "

"No, no it's okay, Dr. Lecter." Liv answered, highly aware of all the people who had their focus on her. "I'm fine with you taking me back to Wolf Trap."

"Perfect."

* * *

The car ride in Dr. Lecter's Bentley was so what awkward for Liv as she barely knew the man, and was now going to be spending the remainder of her day with him until Will got home. Will had made it very clear to Jack that he did not want Liv left alone, which Hannibal assured him would not happen. Liv tried to argue that she did not need to be watched 24/7, that she could handle herself but her statements were quickly shot down by Jack, Will, and Dr. Lecter – each pointing out how vulnerable she would be all alone.

Because of this, this was why Liv currently found herself sitting in Will's kitchen watching Hannibal cooking lunch. Liv sat at the kitchen table with one of Will's dogs sitting by her feet – she was not to shock to see Will's canine family because as a child he was also obsessed with collecting fury animals. A habit that still hadn't broken all these years later.

"So," Liv watched the doctor with amazement as he cooked them homemade soup. She was surprised to see that Will had such ingredients in home, and that Dr. Lecter knew exactly where to find them. He appeared very at ease in Will's home and the dogs seem to know who he is, as each showed immediate obedience when Lecter looked at them. "how do you know my step-brother, Dr. Lecter? Will seemed fairly comfortable around you, which is odd because he has always had a strong detest for psychiatrists."

"I was asked by Jack Crawford to assist Will in solving the Minnesota Shrike case." Dr. Lecter explained with ease, adding a few more spices to the boiling broth. "You may call me Hannibal if you wish, Liv."

"So, were you there when he killed Garrett Jacob Hobbs?" She had heard in the news that a someone else had been at the Hobbs home with Will when he shot and killed Hobbs, but that person was never identified.

"Yes, I also helped him save Abigail Hobbs life." Hannibal stated, never taking his eyes off he cutting board as he chopped up the vegetables needs for the soup. "Afterwards, Jack asked me to complete a psych evaluation on Will as Jack desired to have him back in the field."

"How did Will pass or even agree to the evaluation?" Liv was curious, as she knew from experience that Will hated being psychoanalyzed, after one too many bad experiences.

"Technically he didn't." Hannibal confessed. Trying to suppress the smirk he wanted to make as he watched Liv's shock expression upon hearing his confession. "Will and I came to an agreement. He would continue to have sessions with me unofficially, and I would immediately sign off on his evaluation. I won't lie, Will was very much against the idea at first. Almost seeing our sessions as joke, but then as time went on he began to embrace having the luxury to speak with someone about what goes on inside his mind. No worries about Jack or anyone at the FBI finding out his true thoughts and feelings, no fear of being judged."

"Why are you telling me all this?" Liv was confused. "What made you do that, Hannibal?"

"Because I find Will to be interesting, that's why I did it." Hannibal explained with a simple shrug of the shoulders. "Also, I am telling you this because I believe you would benefit from a similar deal."

Now Liv was very confused, not sure where this conversation was going.

"I must confess I was not entirely honest in my reasoning for staying with you here." Hannibal added the chopped vegetables to the broth and placed the lid over the pot. He then gave Liv his full attention, who continued to stare at the psychiatric with pure confusion. "Jack Crawford asked Dr. Bloom and I to complete a psych evaluation on you after your outburst this morning. He believes that you maybe too unstable to assist us in catching the Fear Maker, that you will fall apart as you did last time."

"I never fell apart, I was scared." Liv tried to correct Hannibal, not liking the idea that Jack viewed her as broken. "I never even wanted that stupid internship from the start…"

"You were majoring in criminology and psychology at the time, correct?" Hannibal wiped his hands with a towel as he made his way over towards the kitchen table. He took a seat across from her. "Were you not satisfied with your studies?"

"I never really wanted to major in that area to be honest. I just did it to be closer to Will." Liv whispered, averting her eyes from Hannibal's piercing stare. "To be honest I think the only reason Jack picked me for the internship was because of Will. My application was way below what the bureau was looking for in applicants. It made no sense in how I was ever picked. Will warned me that Crawford was going to abuse his power over me, believed that I could think like Will…. And I tried not to ignore Will's comments, but I found out several months into the program that he was right all along."

"When Jack put you on the Fear Maker case? You began to see his true intents for why he had you there?"

"Yes..." Liv whispered. "So, are you does this satisfy your the psych evaluation on me, Dr. Lecter? Or will you and Dr. Bloom be ganging up on me later?"

"No, and as I stated before you may call me Hannibal." He smiled. " And actually, I informed Dr. Bloom that I would be willing to perform the evaluation solely, which she agreed to."

"But you have no interest of actually following through with the evaluation?"

"Exactly." Hannibal confirmed, he could still see that Liv was confused by his behavior. "I see similar behaviors in you as I saw in Will when I first met him. I believe you too would benefit from attending therapy like Will has. Everything would be off the record. I will not share anything I see or hear with either Jack or Dr. Bloom."

"So, what? You want to have family therapy with Will and I?" Liv muttered, unsure of how to address the topic.

"No, unless both you and Will agreed and were comfortable with that. I would not want to place either of you in an uncomfortable situation."

"Oh! We're already there... trust me!" Liv told Hannibal with a frown, still avoiding eye contact with him. "Will and I… we have a complicated history."

"Yes, I have to noticed that." Hannibal glanced at the clock on the wall and saw that the soup was almost ready. "I see that you and Will are comfortable around one another, but there is some sort of tension there… unspoken words wanting to burst forth."

"I guess that's a way of looking at it." Liv answer, watching Hannibal walk back over to the stove and finish making the soup. "I thought you weren't psychoanalyzing me?"

"I'm not, but I do find your relationship with Will interesting." Hannibal replied, "Will only mentioned that he had a step-sister once in the time I have known him. It was very brief when he spoke of you, I could tell that the subject made him nervous. From what I understand Will's father was your step-father? He stated before that is mother left him at a young age."

"Yes," Liv confirmed. "Will's mother left when he was 2 maybe 3 years old, him and his dad had been on their own for about 8 years when my mom and I came along. I was 6-year-old when my mom married his dad after being together for five months. Almost immediately afterwards Will's dad adopted me, and we settled down in a house located in the deep south of Alabama. We were a family…"

"But that did not last?" Hannibal dished up the soup. He placed a steaming bowl of hot soup in front of Liv before taking his place across from her at the small table.

"No, it didn't." Liv frowned, using her spoon to play around with her soup as she waited for it to cool. "My mom and step-dad had a so-so marriage, both were mostly in the marriage because they were tired of being alone and a single parent. My step-dad had the better end of the bargain. He was always away on one of his trips, trying to make money where ever he could find work or doing whatever he wanted to do. Sometimes he would be gone for weeks, even months on his trips – most of the time he would come back with very little money from what he had earned. Most of it spent either on liquor, cigarettes, or women. It was up to my mom to keep a roof over our heads and take care of Will and me. Waitressing 12-16 hours shifts almost everyday at a bar and grill in town. She did the best she could."

"What happened?" Hannibal was curious to hear more, he had heard so little from Will about his childhood even though Hannibal was just as guilty in withholding information.

"She died. Hit and run accident after she was walking home in the dark from work."

"I'm sorry- "

"It's okay. There's wasn't anything that could be done. It was quick." Liv cut off Hannibal, who let the rude gesture pass. "After that stayed with my step-dad and Will. My mom had been in the foster system her whole childhood, there was no other family to claim me. Which I think was for the best because Will needed someone there for him. I think Will took my mom's death the hardest out of anyone. She treated him as if he was one of her own. I think she saw how broken he was inside, most people including his father shunned Will for his strange imagination and behavior. They all believed that he was either stupid or severely demented. But my mom didn't believe that. She encouraged Will to explore his imagination and ideas, not be afraid of who he was or wanted to be. I think that courage she inspired in him died when she died."

"How so?"

"His father wasn't the kindest man, especially after he drank." Liv whispered and took a sip of her soup. She had to hold back to the moan of satisfaction when the favor of the soup exploded in her mouth. She motioned to Hannibal that the soup was very good before continuing with her story. "My step-father usually kept his drinking in check when my mom was around as he knew she wouldn't tolerate his obnoxious behavior but once she passed away that all went out straight the window. Will because his favorite target during his drunk rants, sometimes his punching bag too if Will really got on his nerves."

"Were you ever a target?" Hannibal fought down the beast inside when he heard of Will being beaten as a child.

"Sometimes, but if Will was there he would step in and take it instead. Sometimes it worked, other times it just made things worse for the both of us."

"Did you ever tell anyone?"

"We tried to several times but no one ever believed us, even after we showed them the bruises and scars. It actually sometimes just fueled the abuse further." Liv chewed on her lower lip as she thought of the memories from her childhood. She was trying her best to fight back to sense of dread that washed over her as she thought of her step-father and the people who made her and Will's life hell growing up.

"Did the abuse continue after Will left for college?" Hannibal knew that Will was several years older than Liv, he was interested in finding out how far the abuse went. He also needed to speak with Will in private about the things he was learned. There was much they needed to discuss.

"I don't want to talk about this anymore." Liv stated. "This soup is delicious! How long have you been cooking?"

Hannibal saw that he had pushed Liv to her limit with the conversation. He understood that he would have to gather further information from Will. With a smile, Hannibal acknowledge the shift in conversation and proceed to speak about his love of the culinary arts.

* * *

It was around 1 o'clock in the morning when Will returned to his home in Wolf Trap. Hannibal was waiting for him in the kitchen, all the dogs were sleeping soundly around Will's bed and Liv was passed out cold upstairs in her temporary room. After their conversation over lunch, Hannibal maintained small talk with Liv—avoiding all talk related to the FBI or the case. Liv assisted Hannibal in cleaning Will's home and taking care of the dogs for the remainder of the afternoon and into the evening. Hannibal taught Liv some cooking lessons as he prepped a couple of fish that Will had caught earlier in the week for dinner. Liv was practically salivating all over the kitchen as she smelt the delicious aroma, much to Hannibal's amusement.

Eventually around 9 o'clock Liv called it quits for the day, feeling the stress and lack of sleep the last 24 hours catching up with her quickly. She bid Hannibal a goodnight and thanked him for his time today, giving the doctor a sleeping smile before heading upstairs. Hannibal knew that he would not have to worry about Liv waking up when Will arrived for Hannibal had secretly added a strong sleep aid to Liv's tea when he made them some after completing supper. Hannibal calculated that Liv would not be awake until mid-morning, either feeling refresh or slightly hung over.

"Hi," Will greeted Hannibal who was reading from a tablet at the kitchen table. "how was everything today?"

"It was alright." Hannibal replied as he put away his tablet to give Will his full attention. He could see Will was tired by the slow pace he took of his coat, hung it behind the chair and took a seat across from Hannibal. "Anymore progression in the case?"

"Well yes... but it wasn't actually the BAU who came across it." Will let a deep chuckle as he shook his head with annoyance. "Apparently the first victim and the fifth victim actually knew each other. They both went to the same middle school for 6 months at the same time in the early 2000's. Both were in a science club together."

"If the BAU did not discover this information then who did?"

"Our friend Freddie Lounds can be credited for bring this information to light, no matter how much Jack wants to discredit her story." Will's jaw tighten with irritation at the mention of Freddie Lounds. "She caught wind about the recent murder. Someone from the FBI leaked the case to her and she's been busy the past 24 hours getting interviews with the victims' families. Not only is Jack pissed that some leaked the story to her and now she interviewing families, but she's also given the families details that were originally withheld. Which turns out was smart on Freddie's part because that how she was able to make the connection between some of the victims."

"So, it appears Ms. Lounds does still have some use." Hannibal spoke. "How is it that Jack and his team over looked this information before? Did they not do a thorough investigation?"

"Jack claims they did, but obviously, they were not looking in the right spots." Will shrugged his shoulders. "But I did see something on Liv's note for the 2nd and 4th victims. She began to write about them having a connection with their medical history as both died from current health conditions that lead to their deaths while being tortured."

"What did she find?"

"I couldn't tell. She scratched it all out, I could only make out the first few sentences." Will stated with a heavy sigh. "I'll have to ask her if she remember anything. Where is Liv anyways? Scare her away?"

"She is sleeping upstairs." Hannibal said, he watched Will get up and grab himself a glass of cold water. "I gave her a strong sleep aid. She should be sound asleep for the next several hours at the very least."

"Why did you give her a sleep aid?" Will looked at Hannibal with confusion but then he caught the mischievous glint in the psychiatrist eyes. "She didn't know! Why the hell would you drug Liv? Were you that annoyed with her that you decided to knock her out?"

"Quite the opposite actually. I found her quite intriguing." Hannibal smiled. "Especially when she was telling me about her past."

Will stopped in his tracks for a moment as he walked back to the table. He looked uneasy. "What did she say?"

"Enough." Hannibal dropped his smile and stared Will down. "Why did you not tell me about the abuse, Will?"

"It's happened a long time ago." Will tried to tell his friend. "It's in the past."

"What is your relationship with Liv then?" Hannibal wanted to hear Will say what he had been suspecting since seeing Will and Liv together."

"We're step siblings. That's it!" Will stated. It was unclear if he was trying to convince himself or Hannibal.

"Please do not lie to me, Will. You know I do not like being lied too."

Hannibal threatened Will, giving him an intense stare that made Will drown down the rest of his drink. Will took his seat across from Hannibal, knowing he needed to tread carefully for a bit.

"How much do you want to know?" Will whispered.

"Everything."

"Is there a chance Liv may wake up while we are talking?" Will did not want Liv to stumble across him and Hannibal's conversation. She was nowhere near that trusting of Hannibal yet.

"No, I gave her a strong dose." Hannibal stated, he was itching to hear what Will had to tell him. "I checked on her several minutes before you arrived. I can assure you that she is resting very comfortably."

"Well," Will let a loud sigh before continuing. "I guess neither of us will be getting much sleep tonight."

* * *

 **I hope this chapter answered some questions. If you have any feedback please leave a review! Thank you for reading!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Hello! Thank you all for patiently waiting for me to update again. I also want to thank everyone for reading and supporting this story! It means a lot! Okay, so I want to answer a question that I was asked regarding Hannibal framing Will for the copy cat murders - No, that part of the story will not be happening. You will come to find out very soon that Hannibal and Will's relationship is a bit different, mostly because Will is already aware of who Hannibal truly is. Also I will not be completely sticking to the stories that happened in the series, certain characters and stories will still be showing up but it will be in a different way *Hint, hint Abigail's story*. Once again thank you all for your support and time for reading this story! Please enjoy!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own anything that is related to Hannibal. Everything belongs to Bryan Fuller, NBC, and Thomas Harris.**

* * *

"Mm…"

Will groaned as he tried to rub the sleep dust from his eyes, waiting for the coffee to get warm up. He had not gotten much sleep last night, maybe 2 or 3 hours at the most. Hannibal did not leave until around 4 in the morning. They had discussed at great length about Will and Liv's childhood together and their relationship. Will held nothing back, knowing Hannibal would detect if he was.

It was difficult for Will to get use to the idea that there was someone he could confide in, holding no secrets or thoughts back for fear of scaring them away or being placed in jail. Will thanked whatever supreme being was out there for letting him and Hannibal's cross paths. The last couple months with Hannibal had brought a sense of relief since he figured out the Doctor's well-hidden secret.

Will had suspicions about Hannibal being the Chesapeake Ripper after questioning and interviewing Dr. Abel Gideon. There were too many similar traits between the Ripper and Dr. Lecter that it was hard to ignore, he was surprised Jack had not caught on yet. Will's suspicions were confirmed when Jack had Hannibal tag along on catching the EMT who was horrific at harvesting organs for the black market. It was when Jack ordered Hannibal to take over stabilizing the unwilling donor from bleeding out, that it clicked. Will felt the curtains covering his eyes fall away as he watched Hannibal place his hand inside the victim with ease and elegance. Will finally saw Hannibal Lecter for what he truly was, and it was beautiful.

Hannibal knew the moment he locked eyes with Will that the man could finally see him. See the real Hannibal Lecter, not the person suit. Will could see the emotion of fear in Hannibal's eyes as his true nature was laid bare for Will to see. His fears were quickly quench when Will returned his stare with respect, envy, and endearment. Will knew from that moment his life would be forever changed.

"Morning." Liv spoke behind Will, walking around him to grab a glass from a cabinet by his head. "What time did you get back last night?"

Will watched his step-sister pour herself a glass of water. Her long hair was still partially wet from the long shower he heard her taking this morning. The sound of the water running was what woke him up. He saw she was wearing a plain loose dark green long sleeve shirt, a pair of navy color bootcut jean, and mismatching socks. Her brunette hair left down and wet, her face make up free per usual. Liv may have looked like a plain jane to many people, but to Will she was beautiful, and per Hannibal had a lovely aroma. He admired the fact that the dark green of Liv's shirt intensified the green in her hazel eyes.

"Good morning," Will replied, "Uh... it was late when I got back. You were already asleep when I returned."

"Yea, it was weird – I couldn't believe how hard I slept. I didn't realize I was that tired!"

' _Maybe because Hannibal drugged you.'_ Will thought to himself as he poured warm coffee into his well-used coffee mug. A couple of his dogs came out of the living room and started begging him for treat. Will shook them off as he watched Liv take a seat at the kitchen table.

"Did you just get up?" Liv pointed at Will wrinkled t-shirt, plaid sweat pants, and bare feet. He knew his curly hair was probably unruly too from just waking up.

"Yes," Will took a seat across from Liv at his kitchen table. "I didn't sleep that well. Haven't for a while."

Liv frowned as she watched Will fail to suppress a loud yawn. She figured sleep hadn't been Will's friend lately, noting the increase bags under his eyes and the general expression of exhaustion he was constantly displaying.

"Are you having nightmares again?" Liv recalled Will having vivid dreams and nightmares that plagued him throughout adolescents into early adulthood.

"Depends on how you define nightmares." Will answered, taking a sip of his coffee. He saw Liv watching him with deep concern. "I'm fine, Liv. Hannibal's been helping me sort through them. And speaking of Hannibal, how was your day with him yesterday?"

"It was… okay, I guess." Liv was unsure how to answer Will's question. "He's very interesting. Not quite what I expected, especially for a psychiatrist. I found it easy to talk with him."

"Yeah, apparently easy enough that you brought up about the abuse." Will casually brought up the subject that he knew Liv was going to try to avoid. "I was a bit surprised when Hannibal told me that you had confessed to some of the treatments we experienced growing up."

"I'm sorry, I don't know what happened. It just came out." Liv tried her best to apologize. She knew it was subject that Will did not like to disclose to others, let alone to mental health professionals. "I didn't mean to tell Hannibal about the abuse. I'm sorry if I overshared, Will!"

"It's okay." Will could see it bothered Liv that she had talked about her past with a stranger. "Don't beat yourself up about it. I explained to Hannibal what happened in the past. He won't talk about it with anyone else but you and me."

"How much did you tell him?" Liv snapped at Will when hearing that him and Hannibal had talked further about the subject. "Will?"

"Not much, mostly just restated what I know you told him." Will lied through his teeth. He had in fact told Hannibal everything, and he meant _everything_ from their childhood to present. Hannibal now knew every little detail about Will and Liv's lives, but there was no way Will was going to tell Liv this. Him and Hannibal agreed that Liv was not ready to be introduce into their lives and secrets. There was still much that she needed to discover on her own before being ready for them.

"You didn't tell him about the _incident_? Did you?" Liv held her breath, unsure if she wanted to hear Will's answer. She knew he probably had not, but she had to hear him say it.

"No, I didn't tell him about the _incident_." Will lied again, trying his best not laugh at the look of fear on Liv's face. If only she knew how proud Hannibal looked when Will told him about the situation he knew she was referring to. "I just referred to the little bits you told him about the abuse. He does not know much. If you ever wanted to talk further about the subject, I'm sure Hannibal would not mind. While he maybe a psychiatrist, you will find Hannibal is a great person to confide in."

"I noticed." Liv whispered and looked away from Will. He could see she did not want to talk further about the subject. "So, did you find anything yesterday on the Fear Maker?"

"Actually, yes," Will stated. "Apparently the 1st victim Kayla Salis and the 5th victim Natasha Brooks knew each other from middle school. Also, I was looking back at your note from the case five years ago, and it looked like you were onto a connection between the 2nd and 4th victims?"

"That was Lacey Thomas and Catherine Farell right?" Liv was trying to remember who each of the victims were and how they were killed. She had tried for five years to block out all this information.

Will nodded yes, hoping Liv could tell him something. "You were writing about their medical history having some sort of connection, but then you scratched it all out. I could only make out part of what you wrote, the rest is unreadable."

"I don't remember, Will." Liv shook her head, her mind coming up blank. "If I was to look at the evidence I might be able to remember something, but as of right now nothing is coming to me. I'm sorry…."

"It's okay," Will gave her a gentle smile before finishing his coffee. "I'll talk to Jack and Alana today, see if we can have you back in the lab again tomorrow."

Liv nodded in agreement and returned Will's smile. While she honestly did want to step a foot back in the BAU, she really wanted this whole ordeal to be over with.

"So, am I hanging around Hannibal again today?"

"Yes," Will glanced over at the clock on the kitchen wall. "Which reminds me. We should be getting on the road soon, so I can drop you off at his home before meeting Jack and the team."

Will got up from the table and placed his empty coffee cup, and headed into the living room to change.

"Wait," Liv called out from the kitchen, not sure if she heard Will right. "What do you mean his home?"

* * *

"What did you do before you became a psychiatrist?"

Liv leaned against Hannibal's kitchen counter, watching him put together a gourmet lunch for them. Liv was in awestruck by the size of Hannibal's home and expensive taste he clearly has from the décor Liv saw. It was obvious that there was more to Hannibal Lecter than meets the eye.

"I was actually a trauma surgeon before I choose a career in psychiatry." Hannibal answered. Liv was ready to ask him why, but he beat her to it. "I left my life as a surgeon after losing too many patients. You are a registered nursing, correct?"

"Yes, I am." Liv replied with a sad smile. "I was working on a medical/surgical floor, but when this whole mess with the Fear Maker started I lost my job for leaving without official approval for leave of absence."

"Will told me about your job, I'm sorry to hear that." Hannibal stated, finishing mixing the ingredients before placing the pan in the oven. Liv tried not admire Hannibal backside and strong shoulder as he bent over to place the food in the oven. He was wearing a rich purple pullover and cargo pants. Liv would have bet that this was the most casual clothing Hannibal had in his closet.

"It's okay," Liv shrugged her shoulders. "I never really cared for that job anyways. Student loans won't pay for themselves."

"You do not like being a nurse?" Hannibal observed Liv's nonchalant behavior. Liv looked away from him when he tried to maintain eye contact. Hannibal noted to himself to add that behavior to the growing list of things that would need to be addressed and changed.

"I don't know." Liv frowned and picked at the loose string on her sleeve. "I mostly went into nursing because I knew I could have a career after graduating. I was already in deep debt from dropping out of my previous major and needed something. Also, I think a part of me wanted to make my mom proud. She always wanted to be a nurse, but was never given the chance."

"So, you believed becoming a nurse would bring you closer to your mother's memory?"

"I guess…" Liv whispered. "I never really thought about it much. I- "

"Hannibal!"

Liv halted in her explanation of a young teenage girl appeared around the corner and into Hannibal's kitchen. The moment Liv saw the girl's face she instantly recognized her after see her photo on the news for months.

' _What the hell is she doing here?'_

"Abigail," Hannibal appeared aggravated at the sudden appearance of the teenager. "I will not remind you again to please knock or call before coming into my home. That was very rude!"

"I'm sorry, but I just had to get out of that place!" Abigail pouted and walked over to where Hannibal stood in the kitchen. It was obvious by the redness of her face that she had been outside for a long period. She was wearing skin jeans, a dark navy blue jacket, and a red floral scarf around her neck that reportedly bared a reminder of what the Minnesota Shrike did. "These meetings Dr. Bloom wants me to go to are driving me craz-…. Who's that?"

Abigail looked at Liv with confusion, not understanding why there was a woman, who wasn't Dr. Bloom, standing casually in Hannibal's kitchen. Liv quickly noticed that Abigail's stance became guarded and facial expression hard as she observed Liv with suspicion.

"This is Liv Graham, Abigail. Will's step-sister." Hannibal performed introductions. "Liv, this is Abigail Hobbs."

"Hi." Liv smiled at Abigail, but the expression was not returned. Hannibal took noticed of this and placed the offense in his memory palace for a later date. "Cold outside, isn't it?"

Liv was unsure of why Abigail Hobbs was at Hannibal's home, or how she even knew where to find it. But it appeared from how easily Abigail let herself inside, this was not the first time she had been there.

"I didn't know Will had a step-sister." Abigail completely ignored Liv question. "What's she doing here anyways?"

"It's complicated." Liv simply answered Abigail's question, not liking the attitude the girl was giving her. It was clear from the twitch of Hannibal right eye that he too found the Hobbs girl attitude to be disrespectful.

"Does Dr. Bloom know you are here, Abigail?" Hannibal gave Abigail a stern look.

"No." Abigail frowned. "I climbed over the fence during break. I just needed to get away for a while. I needed some alone time to write down some of the things Freddie Lounds asked for with the book. I was wondering if you or Will could look over what I've written down so far. You know for grammar and stuff."

"Of course, I will, but you do understand that my objections have not changed on this project you are doing with Ms. Lounds." Hannibal let out a deep sigh, before the timer on the oven went off.

"Isn't Freddie Lounds that tabloid journalist for that trashy site called Tattler dot com or something?" Liv looked uneasy at what she was hearing. If Abigail Hobbs was doing what Liv suspected she was doing, the teenager was digging herself deeper into trouble.

"It's not trash!" Abigail objected with a sneer. "And she's helping me get my side of the story out there. Now if you don't mind I would like to speak with Hannibal in private."

"Abigail!" Hannibal snapped, surprising both Liv and Abigail. "I will not tolerate you speaking to my guest like that. Apologize, please."

Abigail appeared shocked that Hannibal had raised his voice at her, but it was the look in his eyes that truly scared her. She looked back at Liv with a heavy sigh and gave her a small smile.

"Sorry." She mumbled, practically rolling her eyes as she apologized.

"Apologize accepted." Liv responded, watching Abigail carefully as the young girl unpacked her things on the kitchen table. She then looked back over at Hannibal, who too was watching Abigail out of the corner of his eye. "Do you need help with anything, Hannibal?"

"No, I- "

Hannibal paused at the sound of knocking at his front door. He excused himself and went to see who was knocking. Abigail paused in her unpacking, panic setting in at the sound of a female voice joining Hannibal's in the foyer.

"Shit!" Abigail swore as the voice got closer to the kitchen.

Liv watched as Hannibal lead Dr. Alana Bloom into the kitchen, who looked deeply upset when she saw Abigail standing awkwardly in Dr. Lecter's kitchen. Alana's expression softens when she saw Liv standing by the counter, watching the display around her.

"Abigail, I was worried about you." Alana began to lecture the annoyed girl. "You need to stop running off like this. How many times do we need to have this conservation?"

"I just need some time away from those freaks." Abigail complained. "I was only going to be gone for a few hours than head back. It's not like I ran away!"

"It doesn't matter if you were not planning to run away or not, it's the fact that you keep leaving the facility without proper authorization." Alana scolded her. "And you need stop placing all this pressure on Dr. Lecter. If you want to see him all you have to do is ask!"

"I'm sorry, Dr. Bloom…" Abigail whispered before she began to place everything back in her bag. "I promise not to do it."

"Abigail," Dr. Bloom sighed, believing that she had hurt the girl's feeling. Liv tried her best not to laugh at the show Abigail Hobbs was putting on. It was obvious to her that Abigail was not sincere in her apology, but Dr. Bloom appeared to blind to see she was being played. From the look Liv could see on Hannibal's face, he too did not believe Abigail but was not going to say anything to his friend and colleague. "Please just grab your things, so I can drive you back and get back to work. We'll discuss this later."

Liv stayed still as she watched Hannibal and Alana direct Abigail out of the kitchen and towards the front door. Several moments later the front door opened and closed, before she heard Hannibal's footsteps coming back into the kitchen. He was alone this time.

"I am truly sorry for that interruption." Hannibal apologized with a small smile. "I was not expecting Abigail to pay me a visit today."

"I was not aware you were so close to Abigail Hobbs." Liv said, watching Hannibal move around the kitchen to dish up the warm lunch he had made them. The aroma from the food was delicious and made Liv's mouth water. "Does she come here often?"

"After Will killed Garrett Jacob Hobbs, him and I took on a surrogate father role with Abigail." Hannibal explained with ease. He let a small smirk show when he saw Liv's surprise expression at his statement. "It would appear Will has not told you this. Yes?"

"No, he has not." Liv stated, not sure how she felt about hearing this. "Does Abigail accept the role you both are playing in her life? Especially since Will was the one to kill her father."

"It was difficult at first but I believe Abigail is coming around to the idea. She has shown some resistance though."

"I'm guessing it has to do with whatever she's doing with Freddie Lounds?" Liv pointed to the small stack of papers Abigail had left on Hannibal's kitchen table.

"Abigail believe Ms. Lounds can clear her name to the public by writing a novel about her father and his crimes." Hannibal stated. "Will and I have objected to the idea. We both believe that it will do more damage than good, especially since Jack is still investigating her involvement in her father crimes."

"It's also something Jack will just be waiting to sink his teeth into." Liv said. She knew from watching and reading the news that there were still many people out there that either believed Abigail knew and/or took part in the murders her father committed. Abigail was delusional to think she could sway people's point of views with this project. "He'll see it as her confession. I've seen it before with Jack. He's good at waiting when he truly wants something."

"Do you believe Abigail is guilty?" Hannibal questioned Liv as he gave her a blank stare.

"I'm not sure." Liv answered, "I mean I've heard all the rumors in the news and media about Abigail, what she did and did not know about her father. This was my first time meeting her and from what I saw, she defiantly is able to manipulate other."

"You noticed that with Dr. Bloom I assumed?" Hannibal almost smiled at Liv for paying attention to the small details. "Alana, has become too relaxed in her treatment and guidance of Abigail. I will admit that… Now enough of this talk. Shall we eat?"

Hannibal presented two plate of warm, delicious smell lasagna with a heartwarming smile that awoke butterflies in Liv's stomach.

* * *

 _CLICK! CLICK! CLICK!_

Photo after photo was taken of Dr. Lecter and Liv Graham as they enjoyed a home cooked meal in the psychiatrist home. Completely unaware that they were being watched from a far in a house that was vacated and overlooked into Dr. Lecter's kitchen.

"Perfect…" Another few shots were taken of only Liv, who appeared at ease and relaxed in Dr. Lecter's company. "That should do it."

Putting the camera down, Freddie Lounds looked through the pictures she had captured. Trying to find the right photo to place on her website. Smiling like a Cheshire Cat, Freddie paused at a photo of Liv looking straight ahead, unbeknownst that her photo was being taken. She began to image all the excitement and attention she was going gain once her piece was published.

"Hello Ms. Graham, congrats on being my new story!"

* * *

 **Next chapter a big break finally happens in the Fear Maker case! Also we will take a peek down memory lane with Will and Liv. Please if you have any feedback, leave a review! Thank you for reading!**


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